Last Train Through – Decommissioning of Mt Victoria Signal Box Supplied by Purkis, Vice-President Signaller Sub-Division The signal box is an endangered species of the NSW railway ecosystem, and the latest victim of change is the 1911-vintage Mount Victoria. Highly vulnerable to track remodelling, the introduction of new technologies, electrification projects, rationalisation and even a natural disaster, less than two dozen signal boxes remain operational under Sydney and NSW Trains as of May 2022. Of those, five are mechanical, and five (including Mount Victoria) are over one hundred years old, although Wyong (1912) and Fassifern (1913) now feature solidstate interlocking equipment. Mt Victoria Box opened on 31 May 1911 and was an ornate platform mounted elevated brick-based structure with arched windows on the locking room floor, equipped initially with a 48 lever McKenzie & Holland mechanical lever frame, which was replaced with a standard NSWR frame of the same size in 1946. Several boxes sharing Mount Victoria’s architectural style were built between 1884 and 1911. It was a privilege to have spent a few shifts at this exceptional location in its final months of operation. With me on the final evening of regular passenger services before decommissioning were signallers Shana Hopkinson and Karl Fowler. Resignalling is due for completion by the end of 6 June 2022, but with possession of the mainline taken shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday, 28 May, it was effectively all over.
RAIL & ROAD June 2022
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